OK. Call it shameless self-promotion. But these are funny little stories I actually wrote and illustrated for the kids. Like hand-me-downs, they just keep getting passed along to the next one in line. So enjoy and have a good laugh. Especially at the illustrations because hey, I'm a writer, not an artist.

This one was written when it was our turn to bring the daycare hamster home, and he ran away in the night. We've never seen him since, though for years after we wondered if those strange little noises might be him.

There was this little board book we read til it fell apart called "Are There Hippos on the Farm?" and it asked if gorillas and other tropical creatures could be found doing that rural agricultural thing. It was a hit with the small fry at our home, but the favourite animal was the hippo. We thought they deserved to stay on the farm, and have their own story. This is it.

This was written for all those little girls I knew who were big sisters of little brothers. We were at the height of the all things pink and purple phase. And long before there was "The Importance of Being Earnest" came the importance of being popular. They do say write what you know. Maybe this is why I have since moved on to thrillers. Warning: Of all the illustrations, these are by far the worst.